With all due respect to Alabama's Sacred Order of the Hound's-tooth Hat, Tennessee's Phillip Fulmer is nipping at Bear Bryant's heels in number of coaching victories against opponents ranked in the AP's top 5.

In 25 years at Alabama, 1958-82, the Bear was 7-6 against teams in the top 5 at the time the Tide played them.

UT's 19-14 victory at then-No. 3 Georgia on Saturday gives Fulmer a 6-9-1 record against opponents in the top 5. Six wins moves him past Johnny Majors, who coached the Vols to five victories over top 5 teams.

It's almost as difficult for a football coach to bat .400 against top 5 teams as it is for a hitter to reach that average in baseball.

Fulmer's .406 winning percentage against top 5 foes nudges him ahead of Majors (5-10-3, 361). Legendary coach Robert Neyland was 4-4.

A win over top-5 opponent is a far more accurate yardstick of coaching accomplishment than the commonly cited ''wins over top-25 teams." Why? Because an average opponent can make it into the top 25 for a few weeks. As a general rule, it takes far better team to climb to No. 5 or higher.

For instance, Fulmer's list of wins over ''ranked opponents" includes a victory at Georgia in 1994 when the Bulldogs were No. 23. However, that Georgia team finished 6-4-1 and would have been lucky to be ranked in the final top 50.

UT's win at Miami (in 2003 isn't included on Fulmer's top 5 record because the Hurricanes were No. 6 at the time in the AP poll.

Still, consider that Fulmer's two wins over top 5 opponents in the past 35 months equals UT's combined total during a quarter-century stretch from 1960 to 1985. In fact, UT went nearly 14 years — from Dec. 5, 1971 to Sept. 27, 1985 — without a single win over a top 5 team.

Majors' wins came over No. 2 Alabama (1982), No. 1 Auburn (1985), No 2 Miami (1985), No. 4 Auburn (1989) and No. 5 Notre Dame (1991).

A lot of very good coaches never come close to batting .400 against top 5 opponents. Doug Dickey was 1-4, winning against No. 5 UCLA in 1965. Bill Battle was 1-5, the lone win coming against No. 5 Penn State in 1971.

During more than three decades of watching University of Tennessee men's sports, I don't recall a more impressive big-game stretch than Ray Mears' 6-0 basketball record against teams ranked in the top 5 during his final four seasons with the Vols.

A master motivator, Mears was at his best when his team was the underdog against the nation's top-ranked teams from 1973-77.

Fulmer is establishing a similar legacy.

What we can learn from Mears and Fulmer is that there is no single formula for success.

Judging from their public demeanor, they couldn't be more different.

Mears was a ball of fire on the bench. He was someone who loved to stir up opposing fans and coaches, using psychological ploys with his words and actions.

Fulmer goes to great lengths to avoid stirring up opponents, weighing the potential impact of every word he and his players utter. He's very much reserved on the sidelines and seldom loses his cool.

What Mears and Fulmer seem to have in common is the ability to motivate players by framing big games in the context of "us-against-the-world."

Nearly all coaches try that approach. Only a few are good enough to pull it off.

Gary Lundy may be reached at 865-342-6274.